This interim guidance from the Center for Disease Control is intended for administrators of public and private child care programs and K-12 schools. Administrators are individuals who oversee the daily operations of child care programs and K-12 schools, and may include positions like child care program directors, school district superintendents, principals, and assistant principals. This guidance is intended for administrators at both the school/facility and district level.
EDITOR’S NOTE: To follow the links in this guide go HERE to the source of this guide.
The Loveland Board of Education voted unanimously on Wednesday to fully re-open schools. During their discussion, we heard repeatedly how the devil’s daily details are not yet known because staff and administrators are waiting for advice and guidelines from various local, State, and Federal agencies that have yet to be released. (In unanimous vote Loveland Board of Education approves reopening plan)
Chris Wallace asks Education Secretary Betsy DeVos if she has authority to pull funding from schools that don’t reopen and about safely re-opening schools
Meanwhile, we find out today as Bianca Quilantan reports in Politico that the White House is blocking CDC officials from testifying next week at a hearing on reopening schools.
Separately, the CDC confirmed that more guidance for opening schools won’t be released until later this month. The report was expected to already be available.
House Education and Labor Committee Chair Bobby Scott (VA-03) had invited CDC Director Robert Redfield, or a designee, to testify before the Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee on July 23 at a hearing on safely reopening schools.
CNN’s Dana Bash speaks to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos about whether or not she has a plan for schools to safely reopen for students as Covid-19 cases surge in the US.
Scott asked Redfield to discuss the immediate needs of K-12 public schools as many districts, including Loveland, Ohio schools, prepare to reopen in a few weeks.
“It is alarming that the Trump Administration is preventing the CDC from appearing before the Committee at a time when its expertise and guidance is so critical to the health and safety of students, parents, and educators,” Scott said in a statement to Politico. “This lack of transparency does a great disservice to the many communities across the country facing difficult decisions about reopening schools this fall.”
Ohio’s COVID 19 DASHBOARD today at 7:48 AM
Aides, speaking on background, said the committee was told that Redfield would not appear, at the direction of the White House according to Politico.
Science and evidence-based resources and tools could provide additional information for administrators, teachers and staff, parents, caregivers and guardians in Loveland, as they work towards the public health-oriented goal of safely opening schools this fall.
House Education and Labor Committee Chair Bobby Scott
Scott released this statement on Friday:
“School reopening plans must be guided by the advice of public health experts. For that reason, we asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to testify in a public hearing to provide greater clarity on the steps we can take to help schools reopen safely.
“It is alarming that the Trump administration is preventing the CDC from appearing before the Committee at a time when its expertise and guidance is so critical to the health and safety of students, parents, and educators. This lack of transparency does a great disservice to the many communities across the country facing difficult decisions about reopening schools this fall.
“The administration’s strategy of prioritizing politics over science has had a devastating impact on our country throughout this pandemic. It should not make that same mistake when it comes to reopening schools.”
Hamilton County COVID 19 Dashboard today at 7:55 AM
Ohio Public Health Advisory System The Public Health Advisory Alert System is a color-coded system designed to supplement existing statewide orders through a data-driven framework to assess the degree of the virus’ spread and to engage and empower individuals, businesses, communities, local governments, and others in their response and actions. (7-18-2020)
Warren County COVID 19 Dashboard today at 8:02 AM
Clermont County COVID 19 Dashboard today at 8:02 AM
Loveland, Ohio – At a Special Meeting on Wednesday, July 15, with a unanimous vote, the Loveland Board of Education approved a reopening plan for the Loveland City School District for the 2020-2021 school year. Dr. Eric Schwetschenau moved to adopt the plan, and it was seconded by Eileen Washburn. Schwetschenau, Washburn, Board President Kathryn Lorenz, Vice President Michele Pettit, and Kevin Dougherty voted, “Yes”.
Preschool, kindergarten, and 1st through 12th grades will attend 5 days per week at “full capacity” (no “all-day” kindergarten) with the option of choosing to attend school online.
The first day of instruction for all students is Wednesday, August 26.
High school student arrival time will be 30 minutes later this Fall. Bus guidelines for COVID 19 protection have not been finalized. The District is waiting for State guidelines to be released.
Parents can make a choice each semester about their child attending the “in-person model” or remote learning.
A press release issued by the District said that parents will also have a “full” remote learning option for their children.
Source: 2020 Reopening Planning Updates
Here is the DOCUMENT the Board reviewed while making their decision. You can look in particular at Scenario I the re-opening model chosen by the Board. Under the headline “Impact on students” the first bullet point says, “High-risk of exposure for students and staff; increased ability to meet academic and social-emotional needs.”
There was no “Hearing of the Public” at the meeting.
Additional details of Loveland’s 2020-2021 Reopening Plan is expected to be released next week.
Parent Q & A sessions are being planned for July 27, 29, and 30.
Parents will be required to select either the in-person or remote learning model for the first semester. Each semester thereafter, parents can re-evaluate and choose a different option. The deadline for selection is Sunday, August 2.
Below is the resolution passed by the Board. Exhibit A referenced in the document was not available to the Board or public when the Board approved the Resolution to re-open the schools.
Jul 15, 2020 – Board Special Meeting
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Superintendent Resolutions
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Approve resolution adopting the 2020-2021 Academic Plans and Options Program for the Reopening of the Loveland City School District
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Motion to approve a resolution adopting the 2020-2021 Academic Plans and Options Program for the Reopening of the Loveland City School District and granting the Superintendent authority related thereto.
________________moved, seconded by ____________________ to approve a resolution adopting the 2020-2021 Academic Plans and Options Program for the Reopening of the Loveland City School District and granting the Superintendent authority relate thereto.
WHEREAS, COVID-19 is a respiratory disease that can result in serious illness or death and can easily spread from person to person between individuals who are in close contact with each other (within about 6 feet) or through the touching of a surface that has the virus on it then touching one’s own mouth, nose or eyes; and
WHEREAS, the Governor and the 133rd General Assembly of the Ohio Legislature have declared a state of emergency with respect to the spread of the novel coronavirus; and,
WHEREAS, during the 2019-2020 school year, the Ohio Department of Health ordered that all K-12 schools be closed to students but it is anticipated that schools will be permitted to reopen for the 2020-2021 school year; and
WHEREAS, boards of education in Ohio have been given substantial authority to revise their methods of instruction for the 2020-2021 school year to adopt to the pandemic.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, by the Board of Education of the Loveland City School District, Hamilton County, Ohio as follows:
SECTION I
The Board hereby authorizes and adopts the attached Academic Plans and Options Proposal identified as Exhibit A (to reflect the discussion under item 2.1) to provide for the learning opportunities either in-person, remote, or a combination in accordance with the authority granted by Am. Sub. H.B. 164 and blended learning opportunities authorized by R.C. 3302.41. The Superintendent is hereby authorized to take any and all actions necessary to implement the attached Academic Plans and Options Proposal. In addition, given the uncertain nature of the pandemic, the Superintendent shall be authorized to revise the Academic Plans and Options Proposal as necessary during the 2020-2021 school year so long as such revisions are not inconsistent with Ohio law, state and local health department orders, and orders of the Governor, and so long as the Superintendent updates this Board on any such revisions at the Board’s next public meeting after such revisions are made.
SECTION II
This Resolution shall be in full force and effect from and immediately after its adoption and shall supersede and replace any prior resolution or act of this Board of Education that may be inconsistent or duplicative with the provisions of this Resolution.
SECTION III
The Board of Education hereby finds and determines that all formal actions relative to the adoption of this Resolution were taken in an open meeting of this Board of Education, and that all deliberations of this Board of Education and of its committees, if any, which resulted in formal action, were taken in meetings open to the public, in full compliance with applicable legal requirements, including Section 121.22, ORC.
Loveland Magazine has reached out to local leaders asking them their thoughts about how to mitigate the possibility of Hamilton County being elevated to Alert Level 4 Purple in the State’s COVID 19 Pandemic Alert System. Hamilton County is on the watch list to go to the highest level, possibly by Friday.
Loveland Schools are scheduled to begin classes in 43 days on August 26.
Here is what we believe will be the mandate under the Level 4 Alert:
Hamilton County is on the State Watch list to possibly be elevated from the current RED Level Alert to the highest, PURPLE Level Alert. That destination would mean that the county is experiencing “Severe exposure and spread.” The order from the state would be, “Only leave home for supplies and services and Stay at home/necessary travel only.”
The invitation was sent to the School District Superintendent and all Board members, as well as the Loveland City Manager, the Mayor, and all councilmembers. We have received responses from two community leaders.
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Dr. Eric Schwetschenau and Dr. Kathryn Lorenz sent their thoughts. Lorenz is the President and Schwetschenau is a member of the Loveland Board of Education
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Dr. Eric Schwetschenau
I
appreciate being asked for my opinion regarding the effect that the Coronavirus pandemic has on our community and our school system.
I would like to be clear that this is my opinion only. I cannot speak for the board or the school system as a whole.
I encourage everyone to watch the Board work session scheduled for July 15th at 6 PM where the back to school plans for this year will be discussed!
Governor DeWine has instituted many policies and systems in order to try to decrease the overall disease burden from this new threat to our public health. One of those systems has a strong possibility of being triggered this week, moving the alert system for Hamilton County from Red to Purple.
Over 100,000 Americans have died from complications associated with this novel virus. It is certainly difficult to keep up with the constantly changing environment and the multiple shifts in recommendations and advice from different sources. Due to this fact, there have been many contradictory and confusing opinions which have spread.
With my background as an Ear, Nose, and Throat physician I’ve spent my career dealing with respiratory illness as well as its spread and consequences. I hope that my advice is taken as being from a place of deep concern for community health. I would encourage anyone to read the guidance issued by the state for our schools. https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/static/responsible/schools/K-12-Schools-Guidance.pdf
I believe it is fair to say that we would all like to see our children in schools as much as is safely possible in the upcoming year. None of us want to see schools become centers of disease spread for our community.
In order to best reduce the possibility of this event, we all need to do our best to keep down the overall number of cases. As we have seen in multiple countries, it is possible to drastically reduce and even eliminate community spread of this virus with appropriate safeguards and behaviors.
How do we do this? It’s simple. There are several methods that are well studied and well known to decrease transmission of respiratory illnesses. Although this virus is new and it’s behavior is still unpredictable, our behavior need not be.
1. Wear face masks. This is especially important when in situations in which there is close contact for extended periods of time, and especially when that occurs indoors.
2. Wash your hands frequently. Make sure that frequently touched surfaces are cleaned on a regular schedule.
3. Social distancing helps. The exact number of feet you are away from someone is arguable, and open to interpretation. It has become commonly accepted that a 6 foot distance is a reasonable one due to the mechanical behavior of the respiratory droplets that appear to be the primary method of spread. This number is by no means perfect, but is the best ‘guess’ we have as to a safe distance at this time. Is 20 feet better? Sure. Is 3 feet ok? Maybe, in some cases, but not as safe as further distances…
Think of these three steps as layers of protection, just like bundling up in the winter. Each layer helps to decrease your likelihood of transmitting or catching this illness.
Can we do anything between now and Thursday to change the trajectory of the number of cases in the area? No, that die has already been cast.
Can we as a community make decisions that significantly decrease the spread of viral illness and get us back to low levels of disease? Absolutely.
Schools in Loveland are scheduled to start in 6 weeks. If our number of cases continues to increase it will be even more difficult to ensure safe and healthy schools.
I challenge all of us to be the best neighbors that we can be. Let’s do our best to keep our Loveland families and our community healthy. Let’s do our best to get and keep our kids in school safely!
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Dr. Kathryn Lorenz
The Board has not met or issued a statement regarding the issue you raise. My response is simply as a citizen and an individual board member.
There is widespread thought in the Loveland community that schools should be opened for in-person instruction next month. I believe we all want what is best for Loveland students and staff, both for educational achievement and for the safety of all.
If a stay-at-home order is issued, schools cannot be open.
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I personally try to follow, as best I can, the guidelines regarding face coverings, hand washing and social distancing.
It is my hope that those efforts will help us as we seek to serve the Loveland community.
Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland School Board is meeting tonight at 6 PM for a special meeting. The Board is still meeting via ZOOM/YouTube and you can tune into the meeting by following this LINK. (backup LINK should any issues arise)
Widely anticipated, was a discussion at tonight’s meeting about whether the Board would place an operating levy on November’s ballot. There is no agenda item relating to a levy discussion.
There is no “Hearing of the Public” on tonight’s agenda.
Reopening plans have been developed based on multiple sources of expert guidance. There will be a presentation of the plans with the accompanying expenses, survey data, and other relevant information to plan for the 2020-2021 school year. The objective of the discussion is to determine the reopening plan for “exhibit A“* referenced in the 3.1 Resolution adopting the 2020-2021 Academic Plans and Options Program for the Reopening of the Loveland City School District.
The important, “exhibit A“* referenced in the Resolution they will vote on tonight has yet to be released to the public.
*Academic Plans and Options Proposal
Jul 15, 2020 – Board Special Meeting
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Superintendent Resolutions
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Approve resolution adopting the 2020-2021 Academic Plans and Options Program for the Reopening of the Loveland City School District
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Motion to approve a resolution adopting the 2020-2021 Academic Plans and Options Program for the Reopening of the Loveland City School District and granting the Superintendent authority related thereto.
________________moved, seconded by ____________________ to approve a resolution adopting the 2020-2021 Academic Plans and Options Program for the Reopening of the Loveland City School District and granting the Superintendent authority relate thereto.
WHEREAS, COVID-19 is a respiratory disease that can result in serious illness or death and can easily spread from person to person between individuals who are in close contact with each other (within about 6 feet) or through the touching of a surface that has the virus on it then touching one’s own mouth, nose or eyes; and
WHEREAS, the Governor and the 133rd General Assembly of the Ohio Legislature have declared a state of emergency with respect to the spread of the novel coronavirus; and,
WHEREAS, during the 2019-2020 school year, the Ohio Department of Health ordered that all K-12 schools be closed to students but it is anticipated that schools will be permitted to reopen for the 2020-2021 school year; and
WHEREAS, boards of education in Ohio have been given substantial authority to revise their methods of instruction for the 2020-2021 school year to adopt to the pandemic.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, by the Board of Education of the Loveland City School District, Hamilton County, Ohio as follows:
SECTION I
The Board hereby authorizes and adopts the attached Academic Plans and Options Proposal identified as Exhibit A (to reflect the discussion under item 2.1) to provide for the learning opportunities either in-person, remote, or a combination in accordance with the authority granted by Am. Sub. H.B. 164 and blended learning opportunities authorized by R.C. 3302.41. The Superintendent is hereby authorized to take any and all actions necessary to implement the attached Academic Plans and Options Proposal. In addition, given the uncertain nature of the pandemic, the Superintendent shall be authorized to revise the Academic Plans and Options Proposal as necessary during the 2020-2021 school year so long as such revisions are not inconsistent with Ohio law, state and local health department orders, and orders of the Governor, and so long as the Superintendent updates this Board on any such revisions at the Board’s next public meeting after such revisions are made.
SECTION II
This Resolution shall be in full force and effect from and immediately after its adoption and shall supersede and replace any prior resolution or act of this Board of Education that may be inconsistent or duplicative with the provisions of this Resolution.
SECTION III
The Board of Education hereby finds and determines that all formal actions relative to the adoption of this Resolution were taken in an open meeting of this Board of Education, and that all deliberations of this Board of Education and of its committees, if any, which resulted in formal action, were taken in meetings open to the public, in full compliance with applicable legal requirements, including Section 121.22, ORC.
“The Public Health Advisory Alert System is a color-coded system designed to supplement existing statewide orders through a data-driven framework to assess the degree of the virus’ spread and to engage and empower individuals, businesses, communities, local governments, and others in their response and actions.”
Loveland, Ohio – Today beginning at 6 PM all of Hamilton County which includes parts of the Loveland School District is under an order of the Ohio Department of Health that mandates the wearing of face coverings in public.
Loveland High School, the Intermediate and Middle School Campus, and the Primary and Elementary Campus are all within the RED alert area. There are approximately 4,000 students that attend these schools.
The Early Childhood Center is in Clermont County which is in the Orange Alert area.
Loveland Schools are currently scheduled to resume classes on August 26, 48 days from now.
Loveland is in three counties. The Little Miami River is the East/West dividing line between Hamilton County and Clermont County, A smaller part of Loveland is in Warren county. Hamilton County is in the RED in Ohio’s Public Health Emergency Alert system. Clermont and Warren are both currently ORANGE.
Also, Governor Dewine tweeted on July 7, “As the #COVID19 pandemic has progressed more younger Ohioans are being diagnosed with #COVID19. We are seeing young people who are getting very sick. There is also the concern that they are passing it on to those who are at risk.” He released this graphic to emphasize that point.
The Board of Education has implemented a community-based Planning Commission to be a research and advisory resource for the school district. The Commission will assist the Board by researching and/or evaluating assigned issues and topics, and reporting its findings and recommendations to the Board for consideration. The purpose of the Commission is also to assist the Loveland community in becoming better informed about a variety of issues related to the schools. The Planning Commission has four Sub-Committees:
Communication/Community Engagement Subcommittee
Tasked with researching additional, innovative, and alternative ways to increase communication and engagement between the school district and the community. Members include:
Kelley Deer
Tara Hamilton
Jeff Hawk
Lisa Moorhead
Lynn Oury
Michael Shiverski
Facilities Subcommittee
Tasked with understanding the facilities assessments and current master plan, researching ways to revisit the master plan, and recommending a timeline. Members include:
Daniel Colletto
Brad Combs
Leah Jewell
Kevin Kimnach
Alvin Kressler
Warren Winning
Finance Subcommittee
Tasked with investigating opportunities for Loveland City Schools to increase income that does not raise local property taxes and researching effective practices in reducing expenditures. Members include:
Donel Autin
Brad Goldie
Matthew Hammer
Jill Jones
Craig Lewis
Nathan Libby
Lynn Mangan
Kirk McCracken
School Improvement/Student Experience Subcommittee
Tasked with understanding the current school improvement process and providing input to goals, benchmarks, and comparison districts for the implementation of the Portrait of a Tiger while optimizing our current resources. Members include:
Susan Craig
Lisa Saletta
Alexander Topala
Lindsey Willmann
Natasha Young
Loveland, Ohio – During the COVID-19 pandemic, Loveland City School District (LCSD) Board of Education meetings have been live-streamed to provide public viewing. The Board is not meeting in person, instead, they are using the “Zoom” App and putting their meetings on YouTube. At their
last meeting on June 2, a decision was made to leave the videos on-line, instead of deleting them from further public viewing when the meeting is over.
Also, at the meeting, they discussed how the public could again participate in their “Business” meetings and restoring the public participation portion of the meeting that is usually on the agenda.
In a press release issued by the District on June 12, it stated, “The Board is committed to hearing from the public and continues to welcome input through email.”
While meetings are not open for the public to attend, the Board requests that you email your input to the Board of Education at board@lovelandschools.org.
The Board must have received your email by 4 PM on the date of the meeting if you wish to have it read at the beginning of the meeting, and you must indicate that you wish to have the statement read aloud.
Guidelines
Your statement should not be longer than three minutes, should not reference names of employees or students of the district, and should not include any offensive comments or language.
Statements will be read in the order in which they are received, for a total of no more than 30 minutes. All statements will be available to all Board of Education members and those not fitting within the 30-minute limitation will be noted as having been received. All members of the public submitting statements will have their names recorded in the public participation section of the minutes of the meeting.
The next business meeting of the Board of Education is scheduled for Tuesday, June 23.
Loveland, Ohio – The March 17 Primary Election results have now been reported by the Hamilton, Clermont, and Warren County Board of Elections.
On election night the preliminary result was 3,844 votes for the levy and 5,766 against the levy. After counting all votes there are 57 additional votes for the levy and 104 additional votes against the levy.
Below, are now the “Official” final results as reported by each BOE.
Loveland, Ohio – The first week of May, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced budget cuts to balance the State budget.
Loveland City School District Treasurer Kevin Hawley
Due to the economic impact of COVID-19, Governor DeWine said that $775 million in reductions to Ohio’s General Revenue Fund are needed for the remainder of the Fiscal Year 2020 which ends on June 30.
DeWine said that Ohio is mandated to balance its budget each year, and in addition to identifying areas of savings, the following budget reductions will be made for the next two months:
Medicaid – $210 million
K12 Foundation Payment Reduction – $300 million
Other Education Budget Line Items – $55 million
Higher Education – $110 million
All Other Agencies – $100 million
Loveland Magazine reached out to the Loveland City School District Treasurer Kevin Hawley asking him to comment on the impact of the State cutting revenue to the District.
Thank you for reaching out. I can confirm pieces of this information. For your convenience, I have attached the list from The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) outlining the data for all districts in the state of Ohio. (K-12_Education (2)-1) The amount of the state revenue reduction is $1,010,855. The percentage you are referencing is how much the reduction in revenue is to our ODE calculated overall operating expenditures as stated on the form attached. The percentage decrease of our state revenue for this year is just below 8% and is a decrease of 2% from our overall operating revenue.
The current state funding cuts are for this fiscal year (July 2019 – June 2020) and will be deducted in the next couple months on our last three state payments. School districts receive their annual state revenue in 24 payments, twice a month. We have been instructed that these payments will be taken out equally from our second May payment and both of our payments in June to finish out the fiscal year. At this point in time there is not clarification from the state of Ohio as to whether there will be further revenue cuts for next year. The state’s budget is primarily funded through sales and income tax and those numbers are announced monthly around the 10th of every month. I have not seen the April numbers at this point in time but my guess is that this current reduction is due to those numbers being much lower than projected pre-COVID. The May and June reports on sales and income tax revenue will be very revealing for how the state’s budget may be impacted next year and ultimately how that impacts K-12 education.
The Governor has stated that there is federal funding that may benefit local school districts. At the present time, there is approximately $300k in additional money through the state from the CARES Act. Ultimately, this will help with the reductions in state funding but does not close the gap.
We were anticipating news of potential revenue cuts from the state but were unsure of the size or which fiscal year it would impact. We are always evaluating ways to make our district more efficient and find ways to save and we will continue to do that work. Having just received the specific amount of the revenue cuts Wednesday morning (May 6) we were not factoring this decrease into the budget for next year’s planning and the Board of Education has not had the opportunity to discuss any potential cuts due to this. As we work through the overall financial impact and implications of this budget reduction, recently failed levy and other factors due to COVID-19 the Board will discuss if any future budget cuts are necessary.
Chris Wallace asks Education Secretary Betsy DeVos if she has authority to pull funding from schools that don’t reopen and about safely re-opening schools
CNN’s Dana Bash speaks to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos about whether or not she has a plan for schools to safely reopen for students as Covid-19 cases surge in the US.
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